Horizontal coking chamber end closure



July 30, 1940-- L. wlLPUTTE 2,209,590

HORIZONTAL COKING' CHAMBER END CLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 18, 1956 ATTORNEY July 30, 1940. L. wlLPUTTE HORIZONTAL COKING CHAMBER END CLOSURE Filed Dec. 18, 1936 A \\\v l l m\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ n o. T A

Patented July 30, 1940 UNITED STATES roaste- HORIZONTAL COKING CHAMBER END (ZLQSURIJA Louis Wilputte, New Rochelle, N.' Y.

Application December 18, 1936, Serial No. 116,488

2 Claims.

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved end closure for the coking chamber of a horizontal coke oven bat- Mtery, and particularly an imp-roved end closure including a so-called self-sealing plug type coke oven door.

My improved end closure is characterized by the fact that the door, when in its closed position is suspended from the top ofthe metallic doorframe surrounding the doorway closed by the door. To this end in the preferred construction illustrated and hereinafter described in detail, the rigid metallic outer frame section of the door is provided with a hook extension which in the closed condition of the door extends over a top portion of the metallic door-frame and carries the entire weight of the door. My invention, in its preferred form, also comprises simple and effective door and door-frame carried guiding 0 provisions, facilitating and insuring the proper centering of the door in the doorway replacing operatiomand 'comprises improvements in the means employed to lock the door in place.

Heretofore it has been the usual practice to employ in ordinary horizontal coke oven batteries, a plug type door for each end ofeach coking chamber, which in its closed position rests upon the lower sill portion of the door-frame. With the present invention I avoid practical difficulties which are inherent in door arrangements in which the weight of the closed door is carried by the doorsill. Those diiiiculties arise from the weight and dimensions of the door, the distortion or deformation of the doors and doorways occurring in use, the character of the door handling machinery employed, and the conditions under which doors are handled in ordinary coke oven operation.

While the width of an ordinary horizontal coking chamber is of the order of twenty inches, the vertical dimension of the coking chamber is much greater and in large modern ovens is of the order of thirteen or fourteen feet. The plug section of the door, consisting almost entirely of masonry, is of a width but little less than the width of the oven chamber into which it extends, and ordinarily extends into the coking chamber for a distance about equal to the width of the chamber, and is necessarily of substantial weight, and the metallic outer portion of the door by which the weight of the plug section must be supported in the door handling operation must be correspondingly heavy and strong. In consequence, the weight of a modern commercial size plug type coke oven door is tons.

While door machines of various types and in the neighborhood of three kinds may be employed to remove and replace such doors, all such machines now inv commercial use, comprise hooks which-engage the'outer metallic portion of the door, and thereby support the weight of the door, when the latter is out of its closed position. The gravitational stresses to which the parts of thedoor are subjectedl when the plug section of the door is resting on the doorsill, are objectionally different from those to which the same parts are subjected when the weight of the door is supported by thevdoor machine, the weight of the plug section tending to cause the latter to move downward or upward relative to the outer metallic portion of the door,

accordingly as the door is supported by the door.

machine or the doorsill. With my improved arrangement, the weight of the plug section of the door is always carried by the outer frame section of the door, and the latter is always subjected to tension stresses, and not to alternate tension and compression stresses.

Whatever the type of the door machine, it must be relatively strong and rugged, and for that reason, and also because of the limited time practically available in which to effect door removing and replacing operations, and other conditions of operation, it is practically impossible to insure lofi accurate positioning or spotting of the door machine relative to the sides of the doorway. In the door replacing operation, therefore, the door is not certain to be properly centered inthe doorway unless the door and door-frame comprise cooperating centering provisions e'ective tocompensate for the failure to accurately center the door machine relative to the doorway. With the door suspended` from the top of the door# frame inaccordance with the present invention, the door centering difficulty is reduced by the gravitational tendency of the door to hang down, and the provision of effective cooperating door and door-frame centering parts is facilitated.

In practical operation, it is practically impossible to keep the doorsill free at all times from the deposit or accumulation of ashes or coke on the doorsill, to an extentfinterfering with the proper relative position of the door and doorframe in the closed position of the door when the latter then rests on the doorsill. Even though the ashes or coke deposit on the doorsill is in the form of a uniform layer, variations in the thickness of the layer are inevitable, and result in corresponding variations in the relative 40g rangement.

position of the door and doorway. Those variations are especially objectionable in the case of self-sealing doors, which require that a sealing edge or other metal sealing surface carried by the door must be flexed by the adjustment provisions, provided for the purpose, to have a contour corresponding to the contour of the engaged sealing surface on the door-frame member. A contour of the door carried sealing edge which is that required for a gas tight joint with one relative position of the door and doorway, may

not be that required for a gas tight joint with a diierent position of the door relative to th'e door-frame.

When, as occurs from time to time, the weight of the door is transferred from the door machine to the doorsill with a lump of coke on the doorsill, while the weight of the door will crush the lump of coke, the crushed coke on the sill will have the eiect of tilting the door so that one o1' 'the other side of the plug section will engage an adjacent side portion of the oven wall or doorframe. This diiiculty is avoided with the door suspended from the top of the door-frame in accordance with the present invention, since that arrangement permits clearance between the doorsill and the bottom of the door which is ample under all ordinary operating conditions.

Ihe di'iculty inherent in `coke oven door arrangements in which vthe weight of the door is supported by the doorsill in the closed position of the door have long been recognized and have led to proposals for supporting the Weight of the door by a lower portion or portions of the doorframe other than the doorsill, but the proposed arrangements have been open to certain special objections, and lack the advantage of giving the door an inherent tendency to assume a vertical position, which is inherent in my improved ar- While as a result of inaccuracies in construction, or distortions developing in use, the sides of the door-frame may not be vertical, so that the proper relative arrangement of the door and door-frame with my improved arrangement may require the lower portion of the door to be displaced in one direction or the other `from the vertical position which it attains to assume, it is easier to thus displace the lower portion of my suspended door than to laterally displace the i upper portion of a doorsill supported door particularly when the weight of the latter is carried by coke on one end of the door-sill.

-Preferably, the hook surface bearing against the top portion of the door-iframe yisv of a width equal to a small fraction only of the widthof the oven chamber, and is located approximately v midway between the side edges of the door so that the line of action of the suspension force is approximately in a vertical plane passing cenltrally through the oven chamber and door'and including the center of gravity of the door when centered. When the rigid outer section of the door is formed by a one piece casting, the hook extension may be an integral portion of that casting. When the outer door-frame is formed of rolled parts welded together, the hook extension may be a wrought metal part welded to the body portion of the section. Even when the hook extension as Well as the door-frame sur-- ,faces ordinarily require no machining, though they may be ground when desirable to minimize frictional resistance to the horizontal lsliding movement of the hook on the door-frame.

The cooperating door and door-frame provisions for centering the door, advantageously comprise forwardly extending projections from the top of the door-frame, and lower guiding provisions at each side of the door. The projections at the top of the door are advantageously shaped to provide a tapered notch or crotch receiving the head or neck of the hook.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part o f this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages and specic objects attained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a door including a portion of a coke oven battery;

` Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2A is a perspective view illustrating lockingl bar supporting means;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;`

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the lower end of the metallic portion of the door, as seen from the inner side of the latter; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the door.

In the drawings I have illustrated the use of my improved end closure, in a conventional type coke oven battery, having horizontal coking chambers A, alternating with heating walls B. n the battery construction shown, the coke oven masonry is reinforced and supported at the sides of the battery by a metallic armor, comprising a ash plate C at each heating wall end and a corresponding vertical buckstay D by which the flash plate is held in place. In the construction shown, the door-frame member E, at each end of each coking chamber, is aone piece metallic casting, in the form of a generally rectangular frame extending around the door-ways. The frame E `is of substantial horizontal depth, measured in the direction of the length of the heating walls and coking chambers, and the heating walls at the opposite sides of each coking chamber are recessed at their vertical corners,

. as indicated at B', to receive inner portions of the `corresponding door-frame member E, which extends into the oven structure and provides a metal lining for the corresponding coking chamber end.

As shown, the door-frame member E is provided with adjustable ilanges e at its sides which abut against edge portions of the outer faces of the adjacent flash plates C, and is anchored in place by adjustable clamping connections between its sides and the adjacent buckstay members D. The clamping connections shown each comprises a part d welded to the corresponding buckstay D, a clamping lever F, and a bolt G. One end of the lever F bears against an outer edge surface of the door-frame member E, and the other end of the lever bears against the corresponding part d. The latter is formed with an undercut slot receiving the head of the bolt G. The latter extends through the lever F, midway between the ends of the latter, and a nut G threaded on the outer end of the bolt bears against the outer side of the lever F. In so far as it has now been described, the coke oven battery construction illustrated, is of the precise type and form disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,025,967, granted December 1, 1935.

'The coke oven door illustrated, comprises a rigid outer metallic frame section H, an intermediate sealing section I, and an inner plug section J. The outer frame section H, as shown, is a casting comprising a web portion H', parallel to the side of the battery in the closed position of the door and an outwardly extending rim portion H2.

In the form shown, the intermediate sealing member I is of the known type sometimes referred to as a throughi plate, comprising a flexible metal plate body portion, generally parallel to, and spaced away from the web portion H', and an integral sealing rim or flange portion I' extending inwardly at the margin of the body portion. In the closed position of the door, the inner edge I2 of the rim I abuts against and makes a gas tight joint with a sealing surface E', of the doorframe E. The surface E' is the outer machined face of a ange like inner portion of the doorframe member E. The surface E is generally parallel to the side of the battery, and extends all around the doorway, the body portion E2 of the member E being laterally displaced from the doorway.

The inner plug section J of the door, in the form shown, comprises a masonry mass, extending into the oven chamber proper, and substantially filling the corresponding end portion of the latter. The refractory plug section mass may be of a monolithic character, though ordinarily it comprises a stack of speciallyshaped bricks or refractory blocks. As shown, the refractory portion of the plug section incorporates, and is reinforced by, a vertical metal post J in the form of 'an I beam in interlocking relation with the refractory material. The post J is connected at its lower end to a metallic part J2 comprising a horizontal portion, on which the refractory material of the plug section is supported and which is provided at its outer side with a depending flange part J3, engaging and clamped by bolts K against the adjacent portion of the body portion of the sealing member I. The lower edge of the flange J3 extends into engagement with a horizontal bottom portion of the sealing rim I', which bears against seats formed by two bracket extensions H3 of the door section H, which extend beneath the flange part J3, and through the latter, support the weight of the plug section of the door.

A reduced upper end portion of the post J passes through an apertured metal part J4. The latter has bolt extensions J5, which extend through the body portion of the sealing member I, and are provided with nuts for detachablysecuring the member J4 and thereby the top of the post J to the adjacent portion of member I. The upper end of the post J and the member J4 are normally covered by a specially shaped refractory body J6 forming a removable top portion of the plug section refractory material. The door shown is a pusher side door and is formed with a leveling bar opening I3 in the sealingl member I, and a leveling bar door-frame L is clamped by bolts L to member I at the margin of the opening I3, and is provided with the usual leveling bar door L2.

Except for the local rigidifying action of the frame L, and of its bolted connections to the parts J3 and J4, the entire body portion of the sealing member I is free to flex, and eachpart thereof may move transversely of its general plane, relative both to the outer frame, and to the inner plug, sections of the door.

As is customary in` self-sealing coke oven doors, adjustable connectionsbetween the door-frame section of the door` andthe. marginal. portion of the sealingmember I areprovided for-flexing the sealing member as required to give its edge I2 a contour conforming to the contour of the seal-- ing surface E"V of the door-frame, notwithstanding such deformation ofthe door-frame and door section A as may occur in use. In the preferred form illustrated, each, of said adjustable connections comprises a bracket M, a threaded rod or shaft N, Y

, is formed. with a threaded passage through which a threaded outer end portion of the corresponding shaft N is threaded. The inner end portion of the shaft N is oppositely threaded and is screwed into a threaded socket formed in the corresponding clevis member O. The latter is connected by a clevis pin P to anapertured tongue portion of a corresponding metal part Q, welded to the outer side of the plate-like body portion of the sealing member I, adjacent the margin of the latter.

At its outer end, each shaft N is squared or otherwise shaped for engagement by a socket wrench or the like for rotating the shaft. With its oppositely threaded end portions, the rota,- tion of each shaft N in one direction or another, moves the corresponding clevis O and thereby the adjacent portion of the sealing' member toward or away from the corresponding bracket M. Advantageously, the brackets M are formed with enlarged openings for the clamping bolts by which they are connected to the rim H2, so that the brackets may be adjusted as required to insure the alignment of the threaded passages for the corresponding shaft in each bracket M and in the corresponding clevis member O, required for the easy angular adjustment of the corresponding shaft N. As shown, there is a single central adjustable flexing connection at the top and the bottom of the door, the shaft N for the lower of those connections passing between the previously mentioned projections H3 of the member H.

The means shown for locking the door in placev ing pair of hook members S bolted or otherwise l attached to the opposite sides of the door-frame member E. As shown, each locking bar R is pivoted on the outer end of a corresponding horizontal shaft T, having a threaded inner end portion in threaded engagement with a nut U mounted in a corresponding support H10, carried by the web portion H of the outer frame section of the door. The outer endportion T of each shaft T is squared or otherwise adapted for engagement by a wrench, and the shaft is provided with a thrust collar T2 engaged by the hub portion of the corresponding locking bar. The two hooks S associated. with each locking bar, face one upward and the other downward, so that when the sealingy pressure is released, each locking bar may be. turned about its supporting shaft out of and back into engagement with the two hooks. As shown, the upper and lower locking bars are connected by a link R5 at one side of the two shafts T, which gives the locking bars a gravitational biasl to turn into their horizontal locking positions, and insures that both locking bars may be ation. With each'lockingbar in position to oper'- atively engage corresponding barof 'hooks S, the rotation of the corresponding shaft T in the direction to move the locking bar outwardly, relative to the door section H, will establish the proper sealing pressure between the sealing edge I2 and surface E.

To accommodate irregularities which may re sult initially from structural inaccuracies, or from improper relative adjustments of the different clamping screws N, and which may later result from the distortion of parts occurring in use, the mounting of each nut member U in the corresponding door supporting part H1o is preferably of a character to permit of adjustment of the nut member relative to the door about a vertical axis. As shown, this is accomplished by providing each nut member U with a thrust ange having a rounded or convex bearing surface U adapted to engage the outer edges of upper and lower shelf like portions H1l and H12, respectively, of the corresponding support H10, which is in the form of a chambered casting. Each nut rests on the lower shelf H12 of the corresponding casting H10, and

is held against accidental displacement by vertical bolts or pins H13 secured in ears or projections U2 of the nut member and having their lower portions loosely received in openings formed in the shelf H12 and large enough to permit such adjustment of the nut U relative to the shelf H12 as may be desirable. As shown, each support H10 is formed at its underside with a notched seat H11 for engagement by a corresponding upper or low- 3 5, er hook portion of the door handling machine.

The door suspension hook W provided in accordance with the present invention, in the particular door construction illustrated, is formed by an integral uprising hook extension of the outer cast metal door section H, the neck portion of the hook extending directly upward from the upper horizontal part of the webportion H2. The hook proper, in the closed position of the door, engages the upper edge of the top portion E5 of the door-frame E, from which the door is thus suspended. As shown, the upper edge of the door-frame top part E5 and the engaging under surfaces of the hook W, are substantially horizontal. To suitably strengthenv the top portion of the door-frame, the latter is advantageously formed with a depending flange portion E5, parallel to the side of the battery and directly beneath the hook engaged surface.

The door is adapted to be moved into and out of the doorway by a door handling machine, of any` usual or suitable type, having hooks adapted to engage the notched seats H14 provided at the undersides of the locking bar supporting members H111. In the ordinary door removing operation, the door machine hooks after being brought into engagement, with the door hook seats are raised slightly, to transfer the weight of the door from the door-frame member to the door machine, and are then moved away from the adjacent side of the battery to withdraw the doorframe far enough, at least, to insure clearance between the door and the oven buckstays, when the door machine is then moved to move the door laterally away from its doorway, to provide for the discharge of the coke previously formed in the coking chamber. In replacing the door, .operations are effected which are the reverse ofv the described door removing operations.

To insure and facilitate the propercentering of the door as it is put into place, the door-frame and door are advantageously provided with upazoegseo r per cooperating guiding surfaces, advantageously formed, as shown by the sides of the neck portion of the hook, and by the oppositely inclined adjacent faces of outwardly extending projections E7 from the top portion of the door-frame. As shown in Fig. 5, those projections are shaped to provide an outwardly flared notch or crotch into which the neck portion of the hook is moved as the door is being put in place. To avoid centering diiiculties, due to a non-vertical disposition of the sides of the door-frame, or to the reaction between the door and door machine hooks, when the door machine hooks are not properly centered between the sides of the doorway. I advantageously provide the door and door-frame with lower guiding or centering surfaces. The lower door carried guiding surfaces, as shown, are formed by the lateral edges of two lugs H15 projecting from the opposite sides of the rim portion H2 of the door. The lugs H15 extend into proximity with or into engagement with one or the other of the adjacent side portions of the doorframe body E2, when the door is in its closed position. As the door is moved toward its closed position, the lugs H15 pass between, and, when their centering action is required, engage one or the other of guide extensions of the door-frame, advantageously formed, as shown, by parts S of the lower hook members S. The outer ends of the two extensions S diverge to provide a tapered guideway for the two lugs H15, and the proper entrance of the latter between the extensions, notwithstanding appreciable lateral displacement of the door machine from a central position relative to the doorway.

Certain features of the coke oven door construction illustrated and described, but not claimed herein, are disclosed and claimed in my prior applications Serial No. 977, filed January 9, 1935, and Serial No. 52,995, filed December 5, 1935. It is to be understood, however, that the features of invention claimed herein are not restricted to use in and with doors of the precise type illustrated. They may be used for example, in connection with self-sealing doors in which the body portion of the sealing member is a rectangular frame rigidly claimed between the outer and plug sections of the door, as illustrated in British Patent 417,360.

Those skilled in the art will understand also, that some features of the invention claimed here-l in may sometimes be used with advantage without a corresponding use of other claimed features. In particular, the door suspension and centering provisions claimed herein may be used with advantage in connection with a type of self-sealing door now in commercial use in this country, in which the locking bars are adjusted outwardly from the remainder of the door structure to provide the proper sealing pressure by spring action, instead of the nut and screw action illustrated herein.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A coke o-ven door comprising a door body having an outwardly facing thrust surface, a locking bar, a shaft extending generally transverse to the plane of the door and on which the locking bar is mounted for movement into and out of position in which the ends of the locking bar are adapted to engage retaining devices at the sides of the door, a member forming a support for said shaft and in which the latter is axially adjustable, said member having an inwardly facing convex thrust surface, engaging the first mentioned thrust surface and means for mounting said member on said door bodywith said convex thrust surface in engagement with the first mentioned thrust surface and free to rock thereon as required to equalize the reaction of the ends of the locking bar with said retaining devices.

2. A coke oven door comprising a door body having an outwardly facing thrust surface, a locking bar, a shaft extending generally transverse to the plane of the door on which the locking bar is pivoted for movement into and out of position in which the ends of the locking bar are adapted to engage retaining devices at the sides screwed and having an inwardly facing convex` thrust surface, engaging the first mentioned thrust surface and means for mounting said nut on said door body with said convex thrust surface in engagement with the first mentioned thrust surface and free to rock thereon as required to equalize the reaction of the ends of the locking bar with said retaining devices.

LOUIS WILPUTTE. 

